How Are You Using Your Life Experiences to Serve Others?

Raising a family early in my federal career, I was regularly challenged with meeting the normal 9-to-5 work obligations, paralleled with community, school, sports and church requirements.

Add to that the need for social adventure, to refresh my soul after a long week of obligations. I had a full plate, which made the need to decompress in support of a positive work/life balance vital.

Heavy maintenance piled up to manage my parallel obligations, and this was not an effortless venture. Efficiently and effectively juggling these obligations over a span of 10-15 years, with a family and four children, meant successfully implementing business administration, time management, effective communication, health and wellness, my Catholic faith and public speaking.

Little did I know back when all of this was evolving that I would personally benefit from the implementation of my spiritual devotion and public speaking studies. I am proud to mention that I have managed to mature into a seasoned veteran member of the Lector Ministry. I can honestly and humbly report that I have lectured to our parishioners for over a decade.

I have no reservations when speaking at meetings, to large groups, imparting to management and facilitating training sessions. My parallel experiences also benefitted my advocacy for social injustice issues.

Endurance, at this unprecedented moment in my career, has served me well while working from home during a health pandemic and a global justice, peace and equality movement. During this time, I’ve had an opportunity to reflect on all the life experiences that have helped me develop into the person I am today:

• Self-publishing history books.
• Serving as a mutual aid supporter.
• Serving as a Precinct Captain in Washington, D.C. During two general elections, I was able to provide a viable place to vote for my community.
• Facilitating a free community picnic for all families in my district, as a neighborhood activist.
• Forming a nonprofit organization and arranging a “Life Skills Coaching Conference” at my Parish for young adults, returning citizens and single mothers.

From my institutional knowledge perspective, each of us is capable of enhancing the treatment and lifestyles of marginalized citizens, and we must do so. We must be honest and ask ourselves, what if employment and opportunity inequality practices were geared to one of my family members? How would I react? How might my background of varied experiences help me advocate for others?

From the mouth of one social justice advocate to another, “If you experience implied bias at work, home, or in your community, do something!”  Let us all use this time of isolation as the prime opportunity to inspire new ways of living together and using our experiences and gifts to serve others.